Kaleigh Harrison
While Canada’s policy debate has largely centered on single-use plastics, a far bigger issue has remained under the radar. A new national study highlights that construction projects are responsible for vast amounts of plastic waste—waste that has gone largely unmeasured and unmanaged.
The Construction Plastics Initiative (CPI) Benchmarking Study, led by Light House, is the first to track plastic diversion data from hundreds of LEED-certified projects across seven provinces. The results offer a much-needed baseline as the federal government prepares to extend its Plastics Registry in 2026 to include building materials.
Gil Yaron, Managing Director of Circular Innovation at Lighthouse, and study co-author, shared: “This study gives us the evidence we need to understand the challenge, and CPI offers the pathway to progress, showing that with the right systems and partnerships in place, Canada’s construction industry can dramatically cut its plastic footprint and lead the shift to a circular economy.”
Findings show diversion rates ranging between 1.1 and 2.7 kilograms of plastic per square meter, with institutional and residential builds contributing the most overall. A facility on the scale of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, for instance, would generate around 700,000 kilograms of plastic waste—roughly equal to 140 million plastic bags.
Regional variation was also clear. Alberta and Quebec recorded different diversion intensities, underlining how local infrastructure, supply chains, and policies shape outcomes. Temporal patterns emerged as well, with a peak in 2015 mirroring national disposal trends.
Current reporting systems remain limited, often failing to distinguish between different types of plastic. This lack of detail hinders companies looking to benchmark progress or target specific waste streams.
Circular Solutions and Regulatory Pressure Ahead
Despite the scale of the problem, there is clear potential for improvement. Research shows about 80% of construction plastics are clean packaging—materials that can be more easily recycled or diverted with the right systems in place.
Pilot projects in British Columbia have been trialing practical interventions such as crew training, better on-site signage, and supplier take-back programs. Early signs indicate diversion rates could exceed 80% if such approaches are scaled.
These insights are timely. With the Federal Plastics Registry set to expand in 2026, companies supplying or using construction materials will soon need to disclose data on production, recycling, and disposal. That shift from voluntary to mandatory reporting adds urgency to the sector’s efforts.
For contractors and developers, the changes coincide with mounting investor and client scrutiny around ESG performance. The combination of benchmarking data and pilot project results gives the industry a way to get ahead of expectations and integrate more circular practices. With national rollout expected in 2026, firms that act early could not only stay compliant but also turn plastic waste reduction into a cost and efficiency advantage.